About Christ's Peace House of Prayer · Easton, Kansas
Christ's Peace House of Prayer is a Catholic retreat house and ministry of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, set on 120 acres of rolling pastures and timberland in Easton, Kansas, about 14 miles west of Leavenworth and roughly an hour from Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka. Founded in 1971 (originally as Shantivanam, "the Forest of Peace") by the late Father Ed Hays under Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker, it was reconceived with a fully Catholic identity in 2011 and now centers its life on Eucharistic Adoration, the Liturgy of the Hours, Lectio Divina, the Rosary, and the Nightly Examen. It offers individual silent retreats, directed retreats, monthly preached retreats, group retreats, and sabbaticals, welcoming guests of all faith backgrounds into a contemplative atmosphere of silence and solitude.
- Established
- 1971
- Rector
- No resident priest; retreat house directed by Vince Eimer (Director) and Marie Baranko (Director of Operations). Local pastor from St. Joseph of the Valley / St. Lawrence typically comes on Saturday mornings during preached retreats to hear confessions.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Why belong here
Christ's Peace exists for anyone who longs for stillness, prayer, and an honest encounter with the Lord away from the noise of daily life. It welcomes individuals and groups — parish councils, men's and women's groups, youth, confirmation and first-communion classes, spiritual mentors, and family reunions — onto 120 acres of prairie and timber where simple cabins, hermitages, walking trails, prayer grottos, and a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament reserve around the clock create space to listen for God's voice. The community practices the Liturgy of the Hours, Lectio Divina, the Rosary, and the Examen together each day (except staff desert days), and a trained spiritual director is available for personal accompaniment. People come for a single day of recollection, a weekend, a full week, or a sabbatical of a month or more, and all faith backgrounds are received with the same quiet hospitality.
Mass times at Christ's Peace House of Prayer
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- A visiting priest typically comes Saturday morning during preached retreats to hear confessions.
- Schedule of local Mass and confession times is available in guest information binders at the retreat house.
Adoration times
- Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday — 7:00 AM: Adoration with Lectio Divina on the Gospel of the day
- Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday — 3:00 PM: Adoration with the Holy Family School of Faith Rosary
- Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday — 7:00 PM: Adoration with the Nightly Examen Prayer
- Blessed Sacrament reserved in the chapel tabernacle 24 hours a day, every day
- No communal prayer or adoration on Mondays and Thursdays (staff desert days)
Welcome to Christ's Peace House of Prayer
Christ's Peace House of Prayer is a Catholic retreat house and ministry of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, sitting on 120 acres of rolling pastures and timberland in Easton, Kansas. It exists to foster prayer, renewal, and spiritual growth by giving individuals a place to encounter the Lord through silence, solitude, and the beauty of creation. The retreat center offers individual silent retreats, directed retreats, group retreats, and monthly preached retreats, welcoming people of all faith backgrounds into its contemplative rhythm.
- Established in 1971 by Father Ed Hays under Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker
- Originally named Shantivanam, "the Forest of Peace"
- Renewed as Christ's Peace in 2011 under director Vince Eimer
- Two guiding texts: Psalm 46:11 ("Be still and know that I am God") and Isaiah 56:7 ("My house shall be called a House of Prayer for all people")
Retreats at Christ's Peace
Guests may choose from several retreat formats depending on the kind of silence they're seeking. All guests are invited to share communal meals and the four daily periods of prayer with staff and other retreatants, while still having ample unstructured time for personal prayer, spiritual reading, walking the trails, journaling, or creative work. Spiritual direction is available by appointment.
- Day Retreat — 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM
- Overnight Retreat — any single night
- Weekend Retreat — Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon
- Extended Retreat — one week or longer
- Guided Retreat — meets periodically with a director to structure the retreat
- Group Retreat — leader reserves space and guides a group
- Sabbatical Retreat — one month or more
- Monthly Preached Retreats — conferences, Eucharistic Adoration, Mass, Confession, and time for private prayer (see 2026 schedule)
- Customized Preached Retreats — Vince Eimer leads retreats tailored to groups (suggested donation $35 per lecture)
2026 Preached Retreat Schedule
Each retreat typically includes conferences on the theme, Eucharistic Adoration held three times daily, opportunities for Lectio Divina, the Examen, Morning and Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, and the Rosary. Suggested donation: $180 single / $270 couple for cabins or courtyard rooms; $110 for single guest rooms (meals included).
- January 9–11 — Spiritual Reflection and Planning Retreat
- February 20–22 — Lenten Silent Retreat: Into the Desert
- March 27–29 — Holy Week Silent Retreat: Behold the Man
- April 10–12 — Into the Heart of Mercy
- May 29–31 — Drawn into the Mystery: Praying with the Trinity Silent Retreat
- June 26–28 — Be Still and Know: Abiding in His Presence Silent Retreat
- July 10–12 — Fire Within: Kindled for Transforming Union Silent Retreat
- August 14–16 — Assumed into Glory: A Marian Consecration Retreat
- September 18–20 — Journeying Toward God with Cardinal Newman
- October 16–18 — Awakened to God: Responding to the Call
- November 6–8 — Beyond the Veil: Rising from Grief to Hope
- December 4–6 — Advent Silent Retreat: God Sent His Son
- January 8–10, 2027 — Spiritual Reflection and Planning Retreat
Facilities and Accommodations
Christ's Peace offers 18 individual retreat spaces across four styles of accommodation, with a total capacity of about 28 when married couples share cabins or courtyard rooms. The grounds include a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament, a spacious rustic Great Room, dining and kitchen facilities, a conference room, a spiritual reading library, walking trails, outdoor Stations of the Cross, religious shrines, reflection areas, and a large pond with viewing decks.
- Six double-bed Cabins — nestled in the woods, a five-minute walk from the main building, each with a full bathroom and kitchen area (no microwave)
- Three double-bed Courtyard Rooms — one of which is handicap-accessible without leaving the main building
- Six single-bed Guest Rooms with shared bathrooms
- One overflow Guest Room with pullout sleeper sofa
- Two single-bed Hermitages — no plumbing, for greater solitude
- Suggested donations: $100/night (cabins) and $65/night (guest rooms, hermitages) including meals
- Reduced rates apply for stays of two or more nights
Daily Prayer Schedule
The retreat house follows a Eucharistic-centered rhythm of prayer rooted in the Catholic contemplative tradition. Staff prayer times are held four times a day, except on Mondays and Thursdays, which are "desert days" for the staff — new guests may still arrive and stay, but there is no communal prayer or adoration in the chapel and meals are self-serve. The two-person staff notes that prayer times may occasionally be cancelled for work reasons.
- 7:00 AM — Adoration with Lectio Divina on the Gospel of the day
- 7:45 AM — Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)
- 3:00 PM — Adoration with the Holy Family School of Faith Rosary
- 4:00 PM — Evening Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)
- 7:00 PM — Adoration with the Nightly Examen Prayer
- Blessed Sacrament reserved in the chapel tabernacle 24 hours a day
- Staff desert days: Mondays and Thursdays
Mass and the Sacraments
Christ's Peace does not have a resident priest, so there is no regular scheduled Mass on site. Visiting priests staying on retreat are encouraged to offer Mass in the chapel and often invite other retreatants. A schedule of Mass times at nearby parishes is kept in the guest information binders, and the local pastor typically comes on Saturday mornings during preached retreats to hear confessions.
- Saturday Vigil — 5:00 PM at St. Joseph of the Valley
- Sunday — 9:00 AM at St. Lawrence
- Tuesday — 6:00 PM at St. Lawrence
- Thursday — 6:00 PM at St. Joseph of the Valley
- Friday in Lent — 6:45 AM at St. Lawrence
- Daily Mass at Immaculate Conception, Leavenworth (Mon odd-years / Wed / Fri at 8:30 AM)
- Daily Mass at St. Joseph, Leavenworth (Tue / Thu even-years / Sat at 8:30 AM)
- Benedictine College Abbey Church, Atchison — 12:10 PM Mon–Sat; 5:30 PM student Mass Mon–Fri (school in session)
- Confession — Saturday mornings during preached retreats (visiting priest)
Spiritual Direction and Community
Spiritual direction is offered as a ministry of compassionate presence, helping retreatants reflect on God's work in their daily life. Retreat guests may meet with a spiritual director once during their stay at no cost; a suggested offering of $20 per session is asked for additional meetings, but no one is turned away for financial reasons. Guests who aren't staying overnight may also come simply for spiritual direction.
- Free first session for overnight retreat guests
- Suggested offering of $20 per additional session
- Director Vince Eimer — spiritual director since 1980, former Benedictine monk, trained through the Apostles of the Interior Life and the School of Faith
- Walk-ins welcome for spiritual direction by appointment
- Communal breakfast and midday meal shared as a time of fellowship
Visiting, Accessibility, and Hours
Because staff are small (two-person team) and guest privacy is taken seriously, the retreat house asks visitors to call ahead before coming for a tour, retreat stay, or spiritual direction. The grounds are open year round with a few liturgical closures.
- Open year round
- Closed Thanksgiving weekend, the week between Christmas and New Year's, and the Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday)
- Handicap-accessible Courtyard Room — reachable without leaving the main building, private bathroom, kitchenette, Wi-Fi, and deck; closest room to the chapel
- Call 913-773-8255 or email [email protected] to arrange a tour
- Fill out the Retreat Reservation Form online for retreat bookings
Reserving the Facilities for a Group
The facilities are available to religious, church, and parish groups for day use (weekdays only) or for multiple nights. Day retreats can host up to 50 people; overnight group retreats can be accommodated with nine double-bed spaces and nine single-bed spaces, depending on availability (sabbatical retreats often occupy some rooms).
- Groups: parish councils, staff planning days, men's / women's / youth ministries, Communion and Confirmation retreats, family reunions, spiritual birthdays, prayer groups, study groups
- Amenities include chapel, Great Room, dining and kitchen facilities, conference room, spiritual reading library, walking trails, outdoor Stations of the Cross, religious shrines, and a large pond with viewing decks
- Group Retreat Reservation Form available on the website
- Current pricing listed under Retreat Costs
History and Leadership
Christ's Peace traces its roots to 1971, when Father Ed Hays established Shantivanam under Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker with a vision of stillness and a House of Prayer for all people. The chapel was dedicated in 1973. In the years before 2011 the retreat center began moving toward a fully Catholic identity under director Kristen Bexten, and on December 1, 2011, Vince Eimer was appointed director and renamed the center Christ's Peace House of Prayer. Marie Baranko joined the staff as director of operations and has driven a period of renovation, expansion, and volunteer engagement. The house is sustained financially almost entirely by donations from guests and supporters.
- Founder: Fr. Ed Hays (deceased)
- Archbishop who commissioned it: Ignatius J. Strecker
- Former director: Kristen Bexten
- Current director: Vince Eimer (since December 1, 2011)
- Director of operations: Marie Baranko
- Ministry of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Contact and Support
Reservations, prayer requests, donations, and general inquiries are all handled through the retreat house directly. Donations may be made online through the website, and the house welcomes both financial gifts and volunteer labor.
- Phone: 913-773-8255
- General info: [email protected]
- Director / prayer requests: [email protected]
- Address: 22131 Meagher Road, Easton, KS 66020
- Donate online: https://archkck.org/cpp/donate/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristsPeaceHouseOfPrayer/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Ed Hays1971–
Founder; created the property as Shantivanam under Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker.
- Kristen Bexten
Director before Vince Eimer; began transforming Shantivanam into a fully Catholic identity by removing non-Christian iconography and replacing readings with Catholic ones.
- Vince Eimer2011–present
Renamed the center Christ's Peace House of Prayer; introduced continuous Eucharistic Adoration as the core practice.